2016 News Releases

Pratt man sentenced to life in prison for Jessica’s Law charge

Release Date: Jun 27, 2016

PRATT – (June 27, 2016) – A Pratt man was sentenced today to life in prison without the possibility of parole for at least 46 years for aggravated criminal sodomy of a person under 14 years of age, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said.

Dashaun Ray Howling, 29, was sentenced in Pratt County District Court by Judge Francis J. Meisenheimer. In addition to the life sentence, Howling was sentenced to lifetime parole with electronic monitoring. Howling was found guilty in May by a Pratt County jury of aggravated criminal sodomy. The conviction stemmed from a crime that occurred in June 2015. The crime falls under Jessica’s Law, because the victim was under 14 years of age.

The case was investigated by the Pratt Police Department. Assistant Attorney General Melissa Johnson of Schmidt’s office prosecuted the case.